Walt Disney

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Transcript of Walt Disney

By Katy Kilbourne, Saelar Venters, Emily Coulter, Alexa Jaffe, & Taylor Stansfield Walter Elias Disney was born on December 5, 1901 in Hermosa, Chicago Illinois His parents were Elias and Flora Call Disney. Walt was one of five children: his three older brothers were Herbert, Raymond, and Roy. And his younger sister was Ruth. In 1906, five years after Walt was born, his family moved to Marceline, Missouri. Then, five years after that, 1911, they moved to Kansas City, MI. Finally, in 1917 they moved back to Chicago for good. There, Walt attended high school at McKinley High.And at night, he also attended the Chicago Academy of fine arts. Then, a year later, Walt enlisted in the military at 16. However, he was too young so they turned him down. In 1920, when Walt Disney graduated his high school and college, he began his career as an advertising cartoonist. He created and marketed his first original animated cartoons, and later perfected a new method for combining live-action and animation. During August of 1923, Walt Disney left Kansas City for Hollywood with nothing but a few drawing materials, $40 in his pocket and a completed animated and live-action film. Luckily, his brother worked there and the two soon bought a video camera and started their own small movie business. Then, two years later, on July 13, 1925, Walt married one of his first employees, Lillian Bounds, in Lewiston, Idaho. They had two daughters Dianna and Sharon Disney. In 1928, one of Walt Disney's proudest accomplishments came to life. . . Mickey made his debut in the first synchronized-sound cartoon, Steamboat Willie. Mickey went on to be featured in over 130 films, some of which were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. Mickey Mouse ** FUN FACT ** Walt Disney played Mickey & Minnie's voices until 1946, almost 20 years. Walt Disney created Mickey in 1928 while on a train from Manhattan to Hollywood. His original name was Mortimer Mouse, but eventually Walt changed it to Mickey. On December 21, 1938, the first full length animated musical feature, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, premiered in the Carthay Theater in LA. It produced almost 1.5 Million dollars, even though it was during the depth of the depression. One of the most painful times of Walt Disney's life was the accidental death of his mother in 1938. After the immense earnings and success from Snow White, Walt and his brother, Roy, bought his parents a home close to the studios. Nearly a moth later, his mother Flora died of asphyxiation caused by a faulty furnace in the new home. During the next five years, Walt Disney Studios completed other full-length animated classics such as . . . . The terrible guilt of this incident haunted Walt Disney for the rest of his life. However, things did brighten up when construction had finished in Walt's studio and the staff had swelled to more than 1,000 artists, animators, story men, and technicians. This truly began the climb to the top for Walt Disney and his new and improved company. Throughout the next 10 years, the Walt Disney Company advanced their animation techniques immensely, created more movies, and even a t.v. series! However the best was yet to come when Walt Disney's dream of a clean and organized amusement park came true, as Disneyland Park opened on Sunday, July 17, 1955 at 2:30pm. There were over 28,000 guests who witnessed the opening of Walt's dream. It was the biggest live telecast to date. Disney began television production in 1954, presenting the first full-color programming in "Wonderful World of Color" in 1961 But that was only the beginning. Walt Disney soon turned his attention toward the problem of improving the quality of urban life in America. **FUN FACT** E.P.C.O.T. stands for: Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow So, after many years planning and personal design, Walt Disney opened the Disneyland park "Epcot" in 1964. As a dedication of Disneyland to the public, he christened the park with these words . . . . Eventually, Disney purchased 43 square miles of land--twice the size of Manhattan Island--in the center of the state of Florida. So, after more than seven years of planning and preparation, including 52 months of actual construction, the Walt Disney World Resort, including the Magic Kingdom Park, opened to the public on October 1, 1971 as a dedication to Walt Disney himself. Here, he master planned a whole new "Disney world" of entertainment to include a new amusement theme park, hotel resort vacation center, and his E.P.C.O.T. However, sadly, just five years prior to the Grand Opening of his dream, Walt Disney died on December 15, 1966 of lung cancer. After his death, Roy Disney, Walt's brother, returned from retirement to take full control of Walt Disney Productions and WED Enterprises. Walt Disney is a legend. His worldwide popularity was based upon the ideas which his name represents: imagination, optimism, creation, and self-made success in the American tradition. Walt Disney did more to touch the hearts, minds, and emotions of millions of Americans than any other person in the past century. Through his work he brought joy, happiness, and a universal means of communication to the people of every nation. He brought us closer to the future, while telling us of the past. It is certain, that there will never be such as great a man, as the one and only: